Across The Line: Leander win 100th anniversary Head of the River Race
Plus racing highlights from Sunday’s Vesta International Masters Head of The River Race
Credit: AllMarkOne
We’re Across The Line! Join us to look back on a stupendous weekend on the Tideway.
Three on the bounce for Leander Club at the Head of the River Race
Leander Club won the 100th anniversary edition of the Head of the River Race, beating Oxford Brookes University BC by nine seconds in the process. As winners of the headship, Leander also won the Fairbairn trophy, named after the event founder Steve Fairbairn, who organised the first edition of this race 100 years ago. The crew, packed with talent from Caversham, featured Robbie Prosser, Josh Bowesman-Jones, Archie Drummond, Will Stewart, and cox Jack Tottem, as well as the current World Champions in the Men’s Coxless Four: Dan Graham, James Robson, George Bourne, and Douwe de Graaf.
Rounding off the podium at the top of the results was London RC, who won the Vernon Trophy for the first time since 2012. After beating Thames RC in the Boustead Cup last weekend, Stu Heap’s men beat their neighbours by four seconds on Saturday and during the live broadcast, made it very clear the ambitions they have to contend for the the Ladies’ Challenge Plate and the Thames Challenge Cup with less than 100 days to go until Henley Royal Regatta.
Oxford Brookes University BC put four eights in the top nine crews, and their ‘C’ crew was victorious in the race for the Bernard Churcher Trophy for the fastest crew from any university or college club. BUCS Head winners Durham University BC were 2.6s back on Brookes but returned north with the Scott Skirving Trophy, while the University of London BC won the Thames Valley Trophy, 2.2s back on Will Fletcher‘s flagship boat.
A constant theme across this year’s HORR was tight margins. Sandwiched between Durham and UL was Marlow RC, who went back-to-back in the Page Trophy, less than four seconds ahead of Molesey BC. Across the rest of the top university crews, Cambridge University BC, their third boat behind the Blue Boat and Goldie, and Imperial College London BC both finished less than 10 seconds back on Brookes. In the race for Championship Eights at BUCS Regatta and the Temple Challenge Cup, we await one crew to grab the reins with gumption and pick up the heavy mantle of favourites.
Credit: AllMarkOne
Nothing epitomises the theme of close racing more than the fight for the Jackson Trophy for club crews not normally rowing on the Thames or its tributaries. Coming into this weekend’s racing, Royal Chester RC and Agecroft RC could barely be separated at the North of England Head last weekend, but on the Tideway, it was the Mancunians who grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns. Agecroft RC beat Nottingham RC by 0.6s, with City of Cambridge RC four seconds further back, and St Andrew Boat Club of Edinburgh a further two seconds behind.
Rivalries were reignited from the Schools’ Head of the River, and on this occasion, it was St Paul’s School BC who came out trumps ahead of Shiplake College BC. 13 seconds was the difference with Westminster School BC and Hampton School BC both less than 10 seconds back on the Schools’ Head winners. On home water, Tideway Scullers School were the best of the Junior Clubs, getting the better of Wallingford RC along the way.
The Overseas Pennant remains in Dublin, but it will not be heading back to the Commercial RC boathouse. The students from University College Dublin BC are enjoying a glorious couple of weeks after winning their Colours Boat Race against Trinity College, Dublin for the sixth consecutive year. The Masters C Pennant also went overseas, won by Roeivereniging De Laak from the Netherlands.
Minerva Bath RC and The University of Surrey BC were the fastest Medium Club and Academic crews, respectively, while Aberdeen BC and Hertford College BC were the best Small Club and Academic crews. Sheffield University BC and Vesta RC were the best of the Beginner crews, while Canford School BC topped the rankings of the Mixed Pennant, London RC won the Masters D Pennant, City of Bristol won the Masters B event, and the Royal Air Force were the fastest Services crew.
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Putney clubs dominate Vesta International Masters Head of The River Race
Credit: AllMarkOne
London RC and Thames RC produced the fastest Open and Women’s crews at this year’s Masters Head of The River Race. Starting bow number 2, London’s Masters A crew had hunted down Thames RC to have overlap by the time they reached Putney embankment. They won by just under 13 seconds in front of a delighted home crowd.
St Andrew BC had a day to remember, placing third overall on the day, climbing one place from their starting position, having overtaken Vesta RC out on the course. Crabtree BC put two Eights into the top six. Their Masters C crew won their category by nearly 40 seconds, while their Open B Eight beat Cork by 25 seconds to win their event.
The other two crews to win a brace of events outright were Molesey BC and Eton Excelsior RC. For Eton Excelsior, 2026 is a special year for the club as they celebrate their 200th anniversary, and the club returned to Windsor, having had a great day in the Quads, winning the Women’s A-C Q and the Women’s E event too.
For Molesey BC, all four of their crews that raced finished in the top three, with the highlights being their Open E Eight and Open C Quadruple Scull that topped their rankings.
Thames RC once again demonstrated just how strong their Women’s squad are as their A/B Eight placed 12th overall, more than 40 seconds ahead of the next best crew, a composite from Nottingham RC and Esportiu OlÃmpic Barcelona, Spain.
It was a big day for the composites, especially those featuring Irish crews, as Belfast BC, Cork BC, Commercial RC, Neptune RC, and Shannon RC won Open Masters F Eights, Univ Coll Dublin Ladies, Commercial RC, Old Collegians, St Michaels RC, Tralee RC, UCD BC were the quickest Women’s Masters C Eight, while Lagan, Athlone BC, and Lee Valley RC won the Open H/I Masters Quadruple Sculls.
After their success at Head of the River 24 hours earlier, Roeivereniging De Laak from the Netherlands were back in action and won their second Open Masters C title of the weekend.
At their home event, Vesta RC had four crews racing, adding to the 10 boats that were floated the day before. Their Mixed Masters A-C Eight won, beating a City of Oxford and Derby RC composite crew by 11 seconds. Ardingly RC were dominant in the Mixed D-G Eights, triumphing over the six other crews in their category, while Sons of the Thames, Malmö Roddklubb, Sweden, and KRSG, Belgium were the best of the rest. Weybridge RC won the Mixed A-D Quadruple Sculls, while Bewl Bridge were victorious in the Mixed E-F event.
Credit: AllMarkOne
Other Results
- South Yorkshire Head
- Loughborough Soar Head (cancelled because of weather)
No Scotland, no party: How the Scots have assimilated with the Junior Inter-Regional Regatta
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Fergus Mainland caught up with Scotland’s Team Manager, Cara O’Donnell, to hear all about how the team is preparing for this year’s JIRR
Social Spotlight: Like grandad like grandson
75 years after is grandfather Paul won HORR, his grandson and World Champion rower George Bourne won this year’s race and also sat in the five seat of his crew!
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That’s all from Across The Line this week!
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